Spacing bracket for crated stoves



y 13, 1947- c. L. HARDWICK 2,420,425

SPACING BRACKET FOR CRATED STOVES Filed Oct. 11, 1945 r g-4 v Zhmentor (Ittorneg Patented May 13, 1947 UI,'\II' I'I':.D STATES PATENT OFFICE SPAGING BRACKET FOR CRATEB STOVES Christopher L. .Hardwick, Cleveland, Tenn.

Application October 11, 1945, Serial No. 621,811

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a means for interlocking a shipping crate and stove to afford the maximum protection to the stove during shipment.

Heretofore it has been the practice in shipping cooking stoves and the like to secure the relatively heavy stove body in a shipping crate by means of screws and various forms of bolts. As the wooden crate is usually arranged substantially flush with the walls of the stove or spaced slightly relative thereto and the screws or bolts are secured to the stove frame, it has been found that during the rough handling such equipment is subjected to, in the course of shipment, the heavy stove body shifts or moves relative to the crate, often shearing or damaging the connecting media, and thereby damaging the relatively fragile porcelain surfaces of the stove. In addition, protruding portions, such as rearwardly disposed flues, are quite often damaged by being jammed against the crate. Due to the foregoing, stove manufacturers have incurred relatively high crating and. shipping losses.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of devices for rigidly interlocking and spacing the body of a stove from its shipping crate so that the fines and other projecting surfaces thereof will be protected.

Another object is to provide spacing brackets interconnected with the stove body and a shipping crate encasing the stove which are so arranged relative to the main flue of the stove that the flue will be protected and reinforced during crating and shipment.

A still further object is th provision of a spacing and locking bracket having means thereon for readily permitting the same to be interconnected to a wall of the stove and a shipping crate so that the bracket will rigidly retain the stove and crate in their desired spaced relation.

Still another object isto provide a relatively simple and inexpensive spacing and supporting bracket adapted to be readily interconnected to a stove and its shipping crate.

These and various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the specification is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a, plan view showing one of the brackets or spacing members positioned in place between the stove and shipping crate;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 4;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the spacing brackets; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a stove and crate,

partly broken away, showing spacing brackets secured to the stove at each side of the stove flue.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I designates a conventional stove or range, only .a portion of the top Wall 2, back board 3, rear wall 4 and the end walls 5 of which are shown. Theside walls 5 preferably project rearwardly at their rear ends slightly beyond the rear walls 4 and back board 3, as shown at 5 in Figures 2 and 4. Secured and protruding rearwardly from the rear wall 4 is a vertically extending tubular flue 6 which serves as a conduit for the passage of the heated products of combustion from the various stove compartments, not shown.

When the stove is prepared for shipment, the same is placed within and entirely encompassed by a conventional rectangular wooden shipping crate I, only a portion of which is shown. The crate, of skeleton construction, comprises a plurality of slats or boards nailed or otherwise suitably connected together. Thus the front, back and side sections or panels are formed of Vertically disposed members 8 and horizontally disposed members It] and the rectangular top and bottom panels or sections, only the top panel or section of which is shown, comprise a plurality of horizontal members 9, the slats or members of each section or panel and the adjacent panels being suitably connected together as by nailing.

The slats or boards 8 and ll] of the back section of the crate l are necessarily spaced from the rear Wall 4, of the stove I, to accommodate the flue 6, and it is necessary to retain this spaced relationship during shipment to prevent damage to the stove parts just mentioned. This is effectively accomplished by employing a pair of spacing brackets H arranged one on each side of the flue 6, as best shown in Figure 4. Each of the brackets is preferably constructed in any suitable manner, such as stamping, into the substantially V-shape shown in the drawings, and comprises a flat base portion {2 and two diverging legs l3 terminating in laterally and oppositely extending flat apertured ears i4. Bolts l5 extending through the apertures l6 of the ears i l secure the latter to the back wall of the range, while bolts l7, adapted to pass through corresponding apertures IS in the bases i2, secure these portions of the brackets to one of the horizontally disposed slats iii of the rear section or panel of the crate. Nuts l9 maintain the bolts 41 against displacement.

The brackets ii are arranged on either side of and at right angles to the flue and are preferably spaced relatively thereto. The ears l4 snugly engage with the wall 4 of the stove and the flat base l2 also flatly engages one of the slats H] of the crate. Thus, the brackets extend transversely of the space or gap between the rear wall of the stove and the crate and are securely and rigidly anchored thereto by the bolts 15 and I1. As the ears and base of the brackets flatly engage the stove wall and crate, it will be apparent that the brackets serve as reinforcing elements for and retain the wall and crate in the desired spaced relation. As previously described, it is essential that the crate be spaced from the rear stove wall to prevent damage to the flue. By virtue of the brackets being arranged on either side of the flue and secured to the stove wall and crate, as previously described, the wall and crate are sufficiently braced or reinforced to prevent the crate from inward and outward movement, as well as lateral movement, relative to the flue.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination with a shipping crate, a stove body having a projecting flue on the rear wall thereof, said crate having a rear wall spaced from the rear wall of the stove and from the said flue, substantially V-shaped brackets arranged on either side of said flue, and means on the oppoing free ends of the legs and apex of said brackets for securing said brackets to a wall of said stove and a wall of said crate respectively whereby said crate is retained in spaced relation relative to said stove wall and flue.

2. In combination with a shipping crate having a rear wall, a stove body having a projecting vertically extending flue on the rear wall thereof, the rear wall of said crate being spaced from the rear wall and flue of said stove, brackets comprising a flat apertured base portion and diverging legs terminating in flat apertured ears, said brackets arranged on either side of said flue and means for connecting said flat apertured base portion and said apertured ears to the rear wall of the crate and the rear wall of said stove respectively whereby the crate is rigidly supported in spaced relation relative to said rear stove wall and flue.

CHRISTOPHER, L. HARDWICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 817,669 Rice Apr. 10, 1906 2,139,063 Beach Dec. 6, 1938 2,341,801 Miller Feb. 15, 1944 

